Saturday, December 26, 2009

To truly begin to understand indigenous cultures one must read their stories … history … poetry … “fiction”. In addition to the texts above, Erik’s understanding and love of indigenous peoples and the many issues confronting them are demonstrated by his family’s donation of Erik’s non-law volumes including fiction by authors such as N. Scott Momaday. Momaday’s House Made of Dawn is a classic.

Those of us who had the privilege of knowing Erik still miss him.As one faculty member said of him, he was a rising star. And although we don’t what he might have achieved, we know it would have been great…because he already was.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Because it is our library’s general policy to purchase a single copy of new books, unless there is a special reason to have multiple copies (statutes, court rules, professor requests), we are most grateful that in addition to the new books donated by Erik’s family, we have second copies of the followingtitles. This is a somewhat eclectic group of titles as being in this group depends on what the library already owns.

“Second Copies”

Administrative Law (2nd ed.) – Examples and Explanations – now we can wait a bit before we order another copy of this popular title!

Understanding Administrative Law- Administrative law desk reference for lawyers by Fox, William F.

Administrative law, by Russell L. Weaver, William D. AraizaOK, so this book isn’t a second copy, but since all the other Administrative Law books ended up here, I include this one, too.

Global Climate Change & U.S. Law - Gerrard, Michael B., editor

Our Common Future – World Commission on Environment and Development

Indian Water in the New West, McGuire, Thomas R, et al. eds.

Blood Struggle-the Rise of Modern Indian Nations, by Wilkinson, Charles F.

Indian Reserved WaterRights by Shurts, John

Closing the Circle, by Grijalva, James M.- This book analyzes how an anomalous confluence of federal environmental, administrative and Indian law exacerbates environmental injustice in Indian country, but also offers a solution.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Those of us who knew and worked with Erik recognized the quick, energetic, and flexible mind he possessed. Looking at the books he read may help us to find tips on advice he found useful. Erik’s contribution to our students in this area included several titles and covers debate (attention VIS Cup, Moot Courts, and other competitors), critical thinking and legal writing, and that all-important topic, interviews.

Law

One L: the turbulent true story of a first year at HarvardLawSchool by Turow

Friday, December 18, 2009

Representing Erik’s broader interests, here is a short list of some titles of interest. While two of the titles seem “expected,” one can only wonder at what prompted the interest in law and psychiatry.

Clinical handbook of psychiatry and the law by Thomas G. Gutheil

Law, psychiatry, and the mental health system by Alexander D. Brooks

In our defense: the Bill of Rights in action by Ellen Alderman, Caroline Kennedy

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Writing this introduction is the most difficult of the seven pieces included in this blog series. What can I say? I never had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Erik in any depth about his passion for indigenous issues, but I have to say I felt we shared an instinctive connection at the heart level for the world view expressed in the lives and practices of indigenous peoples around the world.

Having worked in this field for over 20 years, I have had the great privilege to work with many great indigenous scholars and activists and I will always count Erik among them. What made him different? To me, it was the joy and optimism he brought to the work. This is a difficult field in which to engage. There are no easy questions. These studies can challenge not only the ”world view” of non-indigenous persons, but very real things such as our basic property rights. Erik didn’t avoid the tough questions or try to pretend the conditions of indigenous peoples are better than they are. He knew that for every success there are years and years of work and the memory of hundreds or thousands of lives that one wishes could have been touched by the success, but for whom the ‘victory’ comes too late. And he knew that there is still so much to do. But, Erik focused on the achievements and saw the obstacles as challenges.

While these are not all the titles he owned on the subject, they represent important writers and subjects in the field. You will see other titles listed in posting number six, "Second Copies" and the previous post on environmental books noted several titles that could be cross-listed.

No more states?: globalization, national self-determination, and terrorism, ed. By Richard N. Rosecrance and Arthur A. Stein

Monday, December 14, 2009

The books in Erik’s environmental law collection indicate his adoption of an indigenous perspective on the environment combined with the practical needs for teaching environmental law. Questions and Answers on Environmental Law will be a help in prepping for exams. And while I have termed these “environmental” some of these books will be useful for classes in such things as urban planning, animal law (wildlife), and climate change

Water Wars: privatization, pollution and profit, by Vandana Shiva as well as Water Wars, When the Rivers Run Dry, and Blue Covenant may be of interest to students in classes on water law, Stephen Ambroses’ book, Undaunted Courage, provides a look at what North America looked like at the time of Lewis & Clark, while the inclusion of Property here is no accident (land being at the heart of most indigenous issues). Friedman’s The World is Flat is a timely addition to our collection and some titles are just entertaining,like Garbage land: on the secret trail of trash by Elizabeth Royte, Dumping in Dixie: race, class, and environmental quality, by Robert D. Bullard, and Cradle to cradle: remaking the way we make things, by William McDonough & Michael Braungart. Finally, the law library now has a copy of the environmental classic, A Sand Country Almanac: with essays on conservation from Round River, by Aldo Leopold.

Thank you, Erik and the Bluemel family, for greatly enriching our collection in a subject so central to the law school.

Undaunted courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the opening of the American West by Stephen E. Ambrose – Another book that could have gone in a couple categories….indigenous peoples, or general…

Seven wonders for a cool planet: everyday things to help solve global warming by Eric Sorensen and the staff of Sightline Institute

Property: takings, by David A. Dana and Thomas W. Merrill – this, too, could be general and/or indigenous peoples.

This moment on Earth: today’s new environmentalists and their vision for the future by John Kerry, Teresa Heinz Kerry

Garbage land: on the secret trail of trash by Elizabeth Royte – OK, when I find time, this I have to read.

Something new under the sun: an environmental history of the twentieth-century world by J.R. McNeill

Man and Nature: or, Physical geography as modified by human action (1864), by George Perkins Marsh – note the year on this one…

Collaborative land use management: the quieter revolution in place-based planning by Robert J. Mason

Nor any drop to drink by William Ashworth

Environmental sociology: from analysis to action, ed. By Leslie King and Deborah McCarthy

Major problems in American environmental history: documents and essays, ed. By Carolyn Merchant

Friday, December 11, 2009

Last May we lost Professor Erik Bluemel, however, thanks to the generosity of his family, who donated all of his books to us, the Law Library, as well as current and future students of the Sturm College of Law, have acquired many, many new titles. As one might expect, these are primarily in the areas in which Erik taught; administrative law, the environment, and indigenous law, but there are also a few more general, but very useful books related to law.

Over the next several weeks Hearsay will feature highlights and comments concerning these valuable contributions to our community which I have somewhat arbitrarily divided up into various categories based on Erik’s teaching assignments and interests.When you pick up any of the books to which you will be introduced, look inside the cover for the bookplate commemorating Professor Erik Bluemel. And please add your comments to Hearsay about any of these titles and/or about your memories of Erik.

When you look at Erik’s areas of specialty, you find that they demonstrate a harmony of thought. Based on very brief conversations with Erik, and the privilege of attending many of his class sessions, it is my understanding that his interest in Indigenous Peoples came first, but he had to make a living, so…teach environmental law, which is so central to Indigenous Peoples, and follow-up with administrative law, which is so central to environmental law (ah…implementation!). I am guessing that it was his passion for Indigenous Peoples and their issues which motivated his understanding and patience with (what can be) tedious, detailed areas of law. And he was so excited to teach his first class in Indigenous Peoples law. His deep understanding of the topic was brought home to me by his research request to find a piece of Ainu epic poetry. And he wanted every book and article ever written about indigenous peoples. For each class session (twice a week for the entire semester) he reviewed 150-200 articles. When I asked if he was a speed reader, he said, “no,” but he loved having this excuse to read all the things he’d always wanted to read but had never had the time for. Now, because he was teaching the class, he felt he could at least review it all. He was so looking forward to teaching the class again in Spring 2010.

In the next posting in this series, look for Erik’s environmental law collection… and if you are interested in pursuing an LLM degree in International Environmental Law, please consider applying for the Erik Bluemel International Environmental Law Scholar program by March 5, 2010.

These posts on the donations from Prof. Erik Bluemel's family to the Law Library's collection were written by Joan Policastri, Foreign, Comparative and International Law Librarian.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

The United States Code is the official codification of general and permanent laws of the United States. The 2006 edition of the U.S. Code incorporates laws enacted through the One Hundred Ninth Congress, Second Session, and signed by the President on January 15, 2007.

When citing to the U.S. Code, use guidelines outlined in Rule 12.2.1(a) of Bluebook, Eighteenth Edition.

Find the prior editions of the U.S. Code from 1934 - 2000 on Level 3 of the Law Library in the northeast Superseded shelves.

Monday, December 7, 2009

The Westminster Law Library added some new titles to our collection recently. You can see a list of all items or search by subject. Fill out our online form to be emailed a list of new titles on a regular basis. If you are interested in suggesting an item for purchase, let us know!